We finally decided we needed some help with Rosie and her behavior toward children. We have an appt for August 21. I somehow in my own mind seem to stigmatize "not fear based" aggression, as though somehow it's okay for the dog to be aggressive if the dog is doing it out of fear? Or that a dog is "bad" if they act aggressive out of instinct? That isn't rational on my part. But it has struck us lately that Rosie really may be behaving as though children are prey. It isn't just that she barks when they startle her. She goes toward them--especially really little ones--barking like crazy and sometimes even lunging. I'm not clear what the emotional state is on Rosie's part, whether fear, excitement or a combination. We are so ashamed of it, and it's amazing to me how many parents seem to be so forgiving of this. It's doubly problematic because Rosie is so sweet seeming at baseline that children want to come up and pat her (but we have to catch them and explain before they get too close). So I'm glad we'll be getting some help with it. I'm confident it can be addressed but we just need some professional guidance on the best way to go about it.
It's been a hard day here. Rosie got yelled at twice I'm afraid (which we try never to do, and rarely have done), once after she really went ballistic at a child (I wasn't the yeller in that instance) and once tonight when she stole and finally busted my expensive prescription sunglasses (I was the yeller on that one; she'd gotten ahold of them once before, but they survived the first attack, not so tonight). I made amends with her immediately afterward. I know she doesn't steal on purpose to do something bad, she does it because she's curious and/or because we've inadvertently reinforced it (or it is self-reinforcing). But I feel sooo guilty when I yell. I really feel sad afterwards, even though I can tell she's over it momentarily (actually, she really didn't look phased in the first place). She's lying next to me right now sleeping, sweet as an angel, her head snuggling into me.
It's been a hard day here. Rosie got yelled at twice I'm afraid (which we try never to do, and rarely have done), once after she really went ballistic at a child (I wasn't the yeller in that instance) and once tonight when she stole and finally busted my expensive prescription sunglasses (I was the yeller on that one; she'd gotten ahold of them once before, but they survived the first attack, not so tonight). I made amends with her immediately afterward. I know she doesn't steal on purpose to do something bad, she does it because she's curious and/or because we've inadvertently reinforced it (or it is self-reinforcing). But I feel sooo guilty when I yell. I really feel sad afterwards, even though I can tell she's over it momentarily (actually, she really didn't look phased in the first place). She's lying next to me right now sleeping, sweet as an angel, her head snuggling into me.